10 September 2017

Crows Against the Sicilian Expedition

The Athenians dedicated the bronze date-palm, with the gilded statue of Athene beside it, from the two successes on the same day at the Eurymedon, with their infantry on land and their fleet on the river. I noticed that the gold had been damaged on part of this statue, and put it down to thieves and vandals, but Kleitodemos, the most ancient of the local historians of Athens, says in his book on Attica that when the Athenians were getting ready the expedition to Sicily, an enormous flock of crows descended on Delphi and chipped at this statue and tore off the gold with their beaks. He says the crows broke off the spear and the owls and the fruit that was on the tree like a harvest. Kleitodemos gives other portents as well which forbade the Athenians to sail for Sicily.